As an Altoona EPDM roofing contractor, we replace worn rubber roofs with new EPDM sheets, taped seams, and rebuilt flashing on low-slope buildings.
Altoona EPDM roofing sits between two other membranes owners often ask about. Here is how they line up.
Flexible black single-ply
White heat-welded sheet
Asphalt sheets in layers
Building movement, the number of roof penetrations, and how the deck can take attachment all shape the choice on a given roof.
Rubber roofs tend to fail at their edges and seams first. These signs tell us how far the damage reaches.
Open laps let water travel under the sheet. One or two can be repaired; open laps across the field point to EPDM roof replacement.
Rubber that has pulled tight at walls and curbs stretches its flashing until it tears. Bridged corners are an early sign.
Stains away from walls and drains usually mean water is under the membrane. Cores show how much insulation is wet.
Loose drain clamps and dried rubber at the bowl let meltwater past. New drain inserts and flashing fix that detail.
Older boots split in the cold, and pitch pans dry out. Each gets replaced with a molded or field-built rubber detail.
The written scope names each of these parts.
Which layers come off, which stay, and how wet board found during tear-off gets handled and priced.
New polyiso to the energy code, with tapered sections and crickets that send water to drains and scuppers.
The rubber thickness and roll width chosen for the roof, with fewer field seams on wider sheets.
Bonding adhesive across the deck or plates at the laps, picked from the deck type and the building height.
Uncured rubber at corners and boots, cured flashing up walls, termination bars, and new edge metal.
Hidden wet board and tricky transitions change the price more than floor area does. We look before we quote.
Schedule Your Free InspectionRubber goes down in the same order on every section of the roof.
Moisture readings and cores mark the board that has to go, so the tear-off plan matches what is under the sheet.
The day's section comes off, the deck gets checked, and damaged deck is replaced before insulation goes back.
New insulation goes down with tapered pieces at drains, then cover board where the system calls for it.
Sheets relax in place, then get adhered or fastened, and laps are primed and joined with seam tape.
Walls, curbs, pipes, and drains get rubber flashing and terminations, and a final walk checks each lap.
The roof reads very differently after a full rubber replacement.
If rubber is the wrong match for your building, one of these usually fits.
White welded membrane for larger flat roofs with many curbs, where a reflective surface and fused seams suit the building better.
Read about TPO
Roof replacement on shops and plants scheduled in phases so exhaust, cranes, and production keep running below the work.
Read about industrial roofing
Panel and standing-seam roofs for sloped metal buildings, plus retrofit systems that frame new metal over an old roof.
Read about metal roofingSix answers about rubber roofs, their cost, and their age.
EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane made in large sheets, usually black, and joined at the laps with primer and seam tape. It stays flexible in deep cold, which suits low-slope roofs that move with temperature, and it works as part of an assembly with insulation, attachment, and flashing.
EPDM arrives as factory-made sheets that are joined and detailed as one membrane. A liquid surface is brushed or sprayed on in place. When comparing proposals, look at the attachment, seams, and flashing listed, since those connections drive performance more than the look of the finished surface.
Roof size, sheet thickness, insulation, the number of tear-off layers, deck repairs, edge metal, flashing, equipment, access, staging, and season. Two halls with the same floor area can price differently once hidden wet board or difficult transitions show up during the inspection.
An average figure says little about one roof. We check seams, attachment, flashing, and moisture, and look at the repair history. An older roof that is dry and well kept is a different decision from a younger roof with wet insulation across the field.
Replacement makes sense when damage reaches past the flashing into the field membrane or the insulation under it. If the field is dry and the seams hold, new flashing at walls, curbs, and drains can be the right job, and the cores show which case applies.
Usually, with planning. We agree on work hours around scheduled services, keep entrances clear of staging, and protect the sanctuary or hall below each open section. Adhesive odors are managed by working away from air intakes during occupied hours.
Tell us where the rubber roof leaks and how old it is if you know. We will check the seams and cores and put the EPDM scope in writing.